Plunge pool kits: small fibreglass pools, delivered

Not every yard has room for a lap pool, and not everyone wants one. A plunge pool is for cooling off, sitting on the step with a drink and getting the kids wet. Here are the small sizes in our range, how much yard each one needs, and what it takes to get one in.

Which of our pools count as small

There is no official definition of a plunge pool. We use it for anything around five metres long or under, plus the Cleo 5, which is longer but still only 2.28 m wide and suits a narrow side yard or a courtyard. Four sizes fit that brief.

Sizes and volumes are the factory's own figures. Space to allow adds about a metre on every side for coping and paving, as a guide only. Your set-out, setbacks and fence decide the real number.

The Cleo has a flat floor at 1.30 m, so you can stand anywhere in it. The Nova 5 is flat at 1.50 m, and the Nova SL-5 is the same footprint with a sloping floor from 1.40 to 1.62 m, which gives you a standable shallow end and a little more water.

If you have a bit more room, the next step up is a six metre pool:

How much yard you need

Start with the shell size, then add about a metre on every side. That metre is the coping and the paving you walk on, and it is also roughly the working room the excavator and your installer need. A Cleo 4 in a space about 6.4 x 4.3 m is a realistic starting point.

Then check three things that catch people out on small blocks:

• Setbacks. Councils and the complying development rules set minimum distances from boundaries and buildings. Your certifier will tell you the numbers for your lot.
• The fence. A compliant barrier takes space too, and the gate needs room to swing the right way.
• The equipment pad. The pump, filter and chlorinator need a spot, ideally out of earshot of the bedrooms, yours and the neighbours'.

The quickest way to know is to see it. Our yard planner drops any pool in the range onto your own backyard at true scale.

Why a plunge pool suits a DIY job

If you are going owner-builder or supply only, a small pool is the friendliest place to start. The steps are exactly the same as a big pool, there is just less of everything.

• A smaller dig and less spoil to cart away, which matters when the truck has to go through a side gate.
• Easier access. With about 1.5 m of clear side access, a shell can usually go down the side on its edge. A small shell is also easier to handle on the way in. Otherwise it goes over the fence or the house by crane.
• Less backfill and less water. Backfill goes in as the pool fills, and with a small shell both jobs move quickly.
• Lower running costs. Less water to filter, heat and keep balanced.

Our step by step install guide walks through the whole job, and the owner-builder guide covers the permit rules in each state.

Heating a small pool

This is where a plunge pool really earns its keep. Less water means less to warm, so a heat pump gets it comfortable sooner and costs less to run than the same unit on a big family pool. A heated plunge pool is a very different thing in October or April than an unheated one.

Our Comfort package adds an inverter heat pump sized to the pool, plus a blanket and roller to keep the heat in overnight. The blanket matters more than people think, because a pool loses a lot of its heat through the surface.

Approval basics

A small pool has the same rules as a big one. In NSW most backyard pools go through a complying development certificate with a private certifier, usually in two to six weeks. Every pool needs a compliant barrier to AS 1926.1 and has to be registered before it is used.

The engineering pack comes free before you pay a deposit, so you can get approval first. It has the shell drawing, the installation details to AS 1839 and your state's compliance certificate: the Certificate of Compliance in NSW (the ACT accepts the NSW certificate), Form 15 in QLD and Reg 126 in VIC.

What it costs

Every kit includes the shell in any of our twelve colours at the same price, the Essentials equipment package, the engineering pack and freight to your site. Delivered Cleo kits run from $18,000 to $28,000, and Nova and Oasis kits from $21,000 to $31,000, depending on the size and where it is going. For your exact delivered number, see the price for your postcode.

Supply only is how most of our pools go in: you or your builder install, we supply the lot. Read how supply only works. Rather not organise the trades? Ask us about installation.

Common questions

What is the smallest fibreglass pool you supply?

The Cleo 4. It is 4.40 x 2.28 m, 1.30 m deep with a flat floor, and holds 11,000 litres. Allow about a metre around it for coping and paving, so a space of roughly 6.4 x 4.3 m.

Is a plunge pool easier to install yourself?

Generally, yes. A smaller shell means a smaller dig, less spoil to move, less backfill and less water, and it is more likely to go down a side path on its edge without a crane day. The steps are the same as any fibreglass pool, there are just fewer hours in each one.

Does a small pool still need approval and a fence?

Yes. Size does not change the rules. You still need approval, usually a complying development certificate through a private certifier in NSW, and a compliant barrier and registration before the pool is used. The engineering pack is free before you pay a deposit, so you can get approval first.

Can I heat a plunge pool?

Yes, and a small pool is the cheapest kind to heat because there is less water to warm. Our Comfort package adds an inverter heat pump sized to the pool, with a blanket and roller to keep the heat in.

How long does a plunge pool take to arrive?

The shell is made to order. Lead time is about seven weeks heading into summer, generally six to eight, and around six off season. We confirm the delivery date before the balance is due.